Weekly

“Right now, I’m thinking about Arman (1928—2005), who would have turned 90 this year. He was one of the most immediate yet mysterious and fascinating artists of the post-war era. Along with his close friend Yves Klein he created an entirely new kind of art that broke both with realism and with the abstract expressionism that was in vogue at the time. They called it Nouveau Réalisme, a movement that obviously paved the way for minimalism, installation art, and pop art. I’ve had the privilege of being involved in a number of sales of works by this truly radical and dearly loved artist. Among other places, Arman’s work is represented in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Tate Gallery in London, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.”

— Anna-Karin Pusic

Weekly is our own report on what art works are in our minds at the moment.If you're interested in any of the works, please let us know!

ArmanA coups trop tirés, 1962Assemblage40 x 30 cm

“This particular one is a fine sample, and an early one, of his Accumulations. Naturally, several messages are being communicated here. We have the cartridge, which is evidence of the firing of a weapon, the destructive force, and the various symbols of abundance. He began his work on the Accumulations series the year before. After this, a variety of objects would follow: hammers, musical instruments, flat irons, stamps, gears.”

“When Andy Warhol’s estate was auctioned off in 1988, there was surprisingly little contemporary art in his collection. Most of it was art nouveau objects, biscuit tins, letters, and Russian icons. The glaring exceptions were two pieces by Arman, who also featured in one of Warhol’s films, Dinner at Daley’s, from 1964. The two are definitely linked in art historical terms. They were both keen collectors, and they were both interested in the use of mass effect as an aesthetic strategy. ”

“His friend Yves Klein comes easily to mind when you see this dreamy work with its squeezed-out tubes of blue paint. But this isn’t “Yves Klein blue,” this shade is a little colder, an ultramarine. Of course, it could be a tribute to his friend from his youth, but to an equal degree, it is a tribute to what is probably the most revered and loved colour of all time, which symbolises the sky and the ocean, spirit and dream.”

“A Tricolour of Tubes: I have very fond memories of when this was sold from our gallery two years ago. It’s a celebration of his native France, and a commemoration of the French Revolution in 1789. The reds and blues form an untamed cluster along with the white tubes. Is it an image of the turbulent history of the country? We mustn’t forget that Arman’s art incorporates a great deal of warmth and humour.”

Yves Klein

“Yves Klein and Arman were born the same year, and both lived in Nice. They were both Judo practitioners, and they both took up the study of art. One sunny summer day when they were 19, they decided to split the world up between them. Klein took the blue sky, and Arman took the ground. The importance they’ve had for one another cannot be overstated. In 1958, Klein opened an exhibition in which he claimed the void as his territory Le Vide. Two years later, Arman had an exhibition at the same gallery, Iris Clert, where he filled the same void, all the way to the ceiling, with junk Le Plein. Did they know at the time what an enormous step they were taking towards the idea-based art that’s so influential today?”

“An incredibly beautiful painting, which was “painted” by allowing the paint – a colour that looks almost like bright red nail polish – to run out of the tube. The red also echoes the year 1968, when this work was created. It’s vibrantly exuberant – Arman loved colour, and van Gogh was his big hero. He even began to sign his works with his first name, 'Arman', just like 'Vincent'. However, he didn’t do any actual painting himself, instead, giving the force of the colour free reign, allowing it to be independent.”